Caster.



No. 645,386. Patented Mar. l3, I900.

\ A. B. DISS.

EASTER.

(Application filed May 15, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT B. DISS, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

CASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,386, dated March13, 1900.

Application filed May 15, 1899. Serial No. 716,798. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, ALBERT B. DIss, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residin g at New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Casters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Articles of furniture, especially bedsteads, have been made with tubularlegs, usually of iron pipes, with an ornamental surface of brass. Thesetubes are generally of considerable diameter and extend down closely tothe place where the caster is attached. Difficulty has .been experiencedin connecting the caster to the tube in a reliable manner, so that thecaster can be easily detached and not be liable to injury intransportation and so that the caster can be taken off if it requiresrepairing. Efforts have been made to connect the caster-pintle to thetube by intervening springs; but these are liable to injury, especiallywhere the tube is of large diameter. In cases where disks have been madeuse of with spring edges the weight upon the caster and the leverage ofthe caster and pintle against the spring-disk have been liable to injurethe spring.

In the present invention the pintle is held in position within the tubeby rigid disks, so that there is no risk of injury by leverage orstrain, and a spring is applied in such a manner as simply to afford thefriction necessary to hold the caster within the tube and prevent thesame dropping out if the bedstead-leg is lifted; but this spring yieldsto allow the easter to be pulled out with facility when the bedstead ismoved or transported, and such caster can be replaced with facility andwill be held in position by the friction of the spring, so that itcannot fall out.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section representing the presentimprovement. Fig.2 is a separate View of the spring which I prefer touse. Fig. 3 is a vertical section representing a modification in thespring.

The caster-wheel A is supported in the jaws B, and these are connectedto the vertical pintle O, and these parts are of any desired size orcharacter, and the vertical pintle 0 passes centrally through a disk D,which is sutliciently large for the lower end of the tubular leg E torest upon such disk, and there is a washer or disk F near the disk D,but of a size to pass into the inside of the tubular leg, and the seconddisk G is also of a size to pass freely into the tubular leg, and it isadvantageous to press up nibs or projections2 upon the vertical pintle Oto hold the disk G in position upon the pintle, but to allow the pintleto turn freely within the disk.

It will now be understood that the disks F and G cause the pintle toremain central within the tubular leg and that the pintle is free toturn within the respective disks and that lateral'strain is taken uponthe disks, and these disks can be made of different sizes to suit theinternal diameter of the tubular leg and that substantially the onlything which needs to be varied to suit different bedstead or othertubular legs is the diameter of the disks that go into the inside ofsuch tubular leg.

The parts which have already been described are all that are needed fora practically-operative caster; but in order to prevent the casterdropping out if the bedstead is raised a friction-spring is applied thatwill act against the tubular leg and preferably within the same with aforce sufficient to prevent the weight of the caster causing the same toseparate from the leg when the leg is raised.

Any suitable friction device may be employedfor this purpose. I,however, prefer and use the friction-spring H, which intervenes betweenthe disks F and G. I find it advantageous to make this friction-springwith two eyes 3 and 4, through which the pintle 0 passes, and these eyesserve to hold the spring in a definite position; but they do not applyto the spring a friction that interferes with the freedom with which thepintle can be turned with the caster while in use.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the eyes 3 and 4 are represented as connected togetherby a band 5, and this band can be bent into any desired shape so thatthe eyes 3 and4 can be at any desired distances apart,and the arms 6extend out from the band 5 or eyes and are provided at their ends withthe springs H, and these parts all being of sheetmetal can be bent upinto the desired shapes so that the ends of the springs bear against theinterior of the tubular leg, as represented in Fig. 1. The

springs H may be upon a cross-arm 7, having through it a hole for thepassage of the pintle O, and the springs H extend up from the outer endsof the arms '7 and are bent of the proper shape to apply frictionagainst the interior surface of the tubular leg,' and it is advantageousto notch the edges of the disk D at places where the arms 7 pass by thesame; but, if desired, the friction-spring may be entirely between thedisks F and G, in which case such disks F and G can be circular at theedges and without notches. The spring H is represented in Fig. 3.

Where the spring is made with eyes, as shown in Fig. 1, such eyes andthe connecting-band regulate the distances between the disks F and G,and in that case it is only necessary to press up the lugs or teats 2upon the vertical pintle and above the upper disk G to retain the samein position, as illustrated in Fig. 1; but Where the spring is con-'nected by a single cross-piece, as in Fig. 8, it is advantageous topress up lugs or teats upon the pintle below the disk G as well as abovethe same.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the caster-wheel, jaws,pintle and bottom plate or disk, of two independent disks perforated forthe passage of the pintle, the disks passing into and correspondingsubstantially with the interior diameter of the tubular leg, means forholding andsecuring the disks in position to and directly upon thepintle, and a spring acting between the disks and connected to thepintle for applying friction within the tubular leg to hold the' casterto such leg, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the caster-wheel, jaws, pintle and bottom plateor disk, of two independent disks perforated for the passage of thepintle, the disks passing into and corresponding substantially with theinterior diameter of the tubular leg, means for holding the disks inposition to and directly upon the pintle and a band and eyes surrounding the pintle and intervening between the disks to determine thedistance between such disks, substantially as set forth.

The combination with the caster-wheel, jaws, pintle and bottom plate ordisk, of two independent disks perforated for the passage of the pintle,the disks passing into and corresponding substantially with the interiordiameter of the tubular leg, means for holding the disks in position toand directly upon the pintle, central transverse arms extending acrossthe pintle and springs carried by such arms for applying friction tohold the caster in position upon the leg, substantially as set forth. r

4. The combination with the caster-wheel,

jaws and pintle, of a plate surrounding the pintle and'upon which thetubular leg rests, disks or supports perforated for the passage of thepintle and passing into the tubular leg, and means for holding suchdisks or sup ports in position, eyes surrounding the pintle and aconnecting-plate between the eyes and between the upper and lower disksand a spring supported by such eyes and acting to apply a. frictionwithin the tubular leg to hold the casterin position, substantially asset forth.

Signed by me this 12th day of May, 1899.

ALBERT B. DISS. Witnesses: GEO. '1. PINCKNEY, S. T. HAVILAND.

